A 71-year-old man has been killed after a Tesla operating in Full Self-Driving mode struck him while crossing a freeway in California, United States.
Gatekeepers News reports that the incident occurred early Thursday on Interstate 80 near the Interstate 780 interchange in Vallejo, California.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said the driver, a 26-year-old man from San Francisco, told investigators that the vehicle was operating in Full Self-Driving mode when it struck the pedestrian.
Preliminary findings from the vehicle’s dashboard camera showed that the Tesla was travelling at approximately 70 miles per hour when the man entered the freeway from the right shoulder and began crossing towards the central divider.
According to the CHP, the footage showed the vehicle applying its brakes and steering to the left in an attempt to avoid the pedestrian. However, the front-right section of the car struck the man.
Authorities said the victim was subsequently hit by at least one other vehicle while lying in the traffic lanes.
The Tesla driver stopped at the scene and cooperated with investigators, providing the dashboard camera footage. However, the other motorists believed to have been involved in the incident did not remain at the scene, and their identities have yet to be established.
Emergency responders arrived at about 2:34 a.m. and confirmed that the pedestrian had sustained fatal injuries.
Authorities have not established why the man was crossing the freeway or whether Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system contributed to the crash.
The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of advanced driver-assistance technology. Although Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system can steer, change lanes and navigate roads, it is not fully autonomous, and drivers are required to remain alert and ready to take control of their vehicles.
The fatal collision comes days after another Tesla operating in Full Self-Driving mode reportedly crashed into a California Highway Patrol cruiser on Interstate 80. The driver allegedly said he had fallen asleep while the system was engaged, leaving two police officers seriously injured.
The California Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into the fatal crash and has appealed to witnesses and anyone with information about the other vehicles involved to come forward.
